Mild traumatic brain injury syndrome.

Abstract

The mild post-traumatic brain injury syndrome has continued to pose clinical management problems for medical specialists from the emergency physician to the family practitioner. The contribution of preinjury medical and psychosocial factors, along with the concomitant risk of litigation, complicates the diagnostic task. This review examines selected aspects of this problem, including definition and classification, pathophysiology, symptom constellation, medicolegal pitfalls, diagnostic procedures, and treatment recommendations. Practitioners need to be particularly alert to the optimal strategies for emergency department management to prevent "mild" injuries from becoming major disabilities.